


yellowed pages, cracked spines

by kiyala



Series: we never expected this to work [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-03
Updated: 2012-05-03
Packaged: 2017-11-04 18:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/397030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(High School AU) In which Loki is a liar, Steve is a nice guy, and they find common ground in the form of books.</p>
            </blockquote>





	yellowed pages, cracked spines

**Author's Note:**

> This is for [ostwinner](http://ostwinner.tumblr.com/), who is amazingly patient. 
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: I have never written this pairing before, so please bear with me.

The worst part about being Thor Odinson’s younger brother, Loki thinks, is _everything_. He shuts his book with a sigh, looking up from his spot on the couch when he hears the doorbell ring.

“You,” he calls to Thor, who is already making his way to the door. “Would it hurt to let me know when your friends are coming over? So I’d know to get the hell out of here?”

Thor looks over his shoulder as he opens the door. “Would it hurt to make friends with the guys?”

“It would probably kill a few brain cells, yes,” Loki mutters, getting to his feet.

“Hey, now, I resent that.” Tony Stark’s voice is unmistakable, if only for the sheer arrogance dripping from it. “I’m a genius and you know it. If anything, I bet my company increases your brain cell count.”

“Along with a dramatically decreased will to live,” Loki snaps back. He holds his book close to his chest and pushes past Tony in the doorway. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find a place to read in peace.”

Tony’s car is parked in the driveway; an expensive sports model that he’d touched up himself, complete with a custom red and yellow paint job. Loki gives it a considering look as he passes, wishing he’d taken his house keys with him.

“Don’t touch my car,” Tony warns in a low voice, reading Loki’s glance.

With a smirk, Loki looks over his shoulder, making sure Tony is watching as he presses his hand firmly to the window, leaving a print behind.

Tony looks like he’s about to run after Loki, but Thor places a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping him still.

“It’s not worth it,” Thor mutters, narrowing his eyes at his brother. “Trust me.”

Loki gives them a cheerful wave as he walks down the street, swinging his book by his side.

It’s easy enough to find a warm, sunny patch in the park to sit down with his book, but Loki hates the fact that he has to. He knows better than to hang around when they’re at the house, though. Not only are they loud and annoying, but he knows from experience that if Thor’s in a cruel enough mood, they’ll all turn on Loki and start picking on him.

Not that he’s missing out on very much, he thinks, shrugging to himself. Nothing but the looks on their faces when they realise that he’s already gotten to the Coke in the fridge, and shaken the bottles up.

Loki stays out until he finishes his book and the sun is beginning to set. With any luck, Thor’s friends have gone home by now and he can retreat to his room in peace. Of course, luck is never on his side. Tony’s car is still parked in the driveway, and Natasha’s sleek, black car is parked by the curb too, behind Clint’s motorbike.

With a sigh, Loki steels himself and goes inside. Several heads look up as he walks through the door, and he suppresses his smirk at the fact that Tony is wearing one of Thor’s shirts, recognisable by the fact that it’s way too big on him, and his hair is wet.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms grab him from behind and Loki struggles, looking over his shoulder to see Clint smirking at him.

“What―?” he begins, eyes widening when Thor and Tony advance on him.

“Just a bit of payback,” Tony says with a wink, picking a Coke bottle on the way.

“Guys,” a voice speaks up, and Loki knows without looking that it’s Steve Rogers, the god damn nice guy and captain of the football team, and it makes him snap. He doesn’t need one of Thor’s jock friends standing up for him.

He struggles in Clint’s arms, thrashing to the side, but it doesn’t help. Tony stands before him, grinning with satisfaction as he shakes the bottle as hard as he can. Loki makes sure his eyes are shut before the fizz hits his face.

He can hear Clint laughing, and Loki feels the embarrassment burning through him, making his eyes sting with tears of humiliation and god _damn_ it, he is not going to cry in front of all of them.

So he settles for doing what he does best. He lies.

“You fucking _idiots_ ,” he hisses, his gaze dropping to his book, brown and sodden from the soda. He cradles it close to him and glares at Tony before turning his gaze to Thor. “That was a first edition and it’s out of print, and what the _hell_ am I supposed to do now?”

Thor’s smile wavers as he tries to scope the truth behind his brother’s words. Loki doesn’t give him the time, pushing past him, letting the wet mess of paper drop to the floor, and hiding in his room. He doesn’t come back out until dinner.

 

•

 

Whenever given the choice, Loki sits alone. Especially during lunch at school, when most of his peers seem to prefer running around, playing whatever game they’ve chosen for the day, without any consideration for their surroundings. He’s sitting on a hill, far away from the others, and he can see the chess group trying to hold their games on the benches just by the oval, periodically clutching their boards close when several people thunder past with a football.

Typical Thor, Loki thinks with disdain, turning to the next page of his book. His brother never cares about what’s going on around him, or what he’s disturbing, as long as he’s the centre of attention. The rest of his friends are the same; Loki can see them from where he is. All of them except for—

“Hey.”

Loki turns sharply, snapping his book shut.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Steve says with an apologetic smile.

“What do you want?” There is no possible way that any encounter with Thor’s friends can end well. Loki prefers that they just get to the point.

“Well…” Steve sits down beside Loki, holding a small object wrapped in brown paper. “I got this for you.”

When Loki doesn’t take it, Steve sighs. Pulling the paper away, he holds it up. “I… found it by accident, really, but there was a first edition of your book in the second-hand bookshop near where I live and…”

Loki takes the book, staring at it disbelievingly. “I didn’t tell you which book I was reading.”

“Bruce saw the name on the cover.” Steve grins sheepishly. “He told me the plot and it sounds pretty interesting. Mind if I borrow it once you’re done?”

None of this makes any sense. Loki frowns. “Why are you doing this?”

“I just felt bad about what happened on the weekend, okay? And I’m sorry we ruined your book. Look, it was just lucky that I found this, anyway. It just happened to catch my eye.”

Loki raises an eyebrow and gently places the book in his bag. It’s difficult to say, especially to a friend of Thor’s, but, “…Thank you.”

Steve beams at him, patting him on the back. “Just let me know when I can borrow it, okay?”

Loki watches him leave, still struggling to believe what has just happened. He tries going back to his other book, but he only gets half a page through before reaching into his bag and pulling out the book that Steve gave him. It’s old and worn, its pages soft and slightly yellowed. Loki runs his fingers over the cracked spine and the raised lettering of the title on the front.

He opens it up to find the right page and reads until the bell rings. It’s not until he gets to his bench in the chemistry lab that he realises that he’s smiling.

 

•

 

The next day, Thor has football practice after school. It goes for two hours and Loki waits until Thor and the rest of the team have left before coming out from his hiding place just by the stands.

“Loki,” Steve greets, smiling when he notices the book in his hand. “How are you?”

Instead of replying, Loki holds the book out. “Here.”

“Finished it already?”

Loki had stayed up late, not wanting to sleep until he was done. “I was nearly finished when I was reading my old copy. It was nice to finally read the ending.”

Steve’s smile falters a little, but remains in place. “I should warn you, I’m a slow reader.”

“I don’t really care,” Loki shrugs. “Just make sure Thor doesn’t see it.”

Steve looks at him curiously. “You don’t want him to know I’m borrowing—”

“Precisely.” Loki shifts his weight, uncomfortable speaking to Steve out in the open for so long. “Just return it when you’re done. Whenever that is.”

“Okay, thanks!” Steve calls, as Loki walks away.

It’s a long walk home, but Loki doesn’t mind. He’s grown used to it lately, preferring to make his own way to and from school, instead of going with his brother. He’ll take whatever peace and quiet he can get before he goes home to listen to Thor boast and bast in their parents’ praise.

As soon as he walks through the door, Loki is greeted by Thor’s, “And where have you been? Up to mischief again?”

He opens his mouth to reply, but their father overhears and is already speaking up, “Careful, Loki. I don’t want you getting yourself in any more trouble.”

“I wasn’t even—” Loki protests before sighing heavily, heading to his room. “Yes, Father.”

 

•

 

In the week that passes, Loki buys the other two books in the trilogy. He finds them in two different second-hand bookshops and they may not be first editions, but he finds that he likes the feel of the aged pages and the knowledge that the books in his hands are almost as old as he is.

He’s sitting in the park not far from home, finishing the third book, when Steve finds him.

“Thought I’d find you here,” Steve says by way of greeting.

“Is that so?” Loki doesn’t look up from his book; he’s on the last page. To his pleasant surprise, Steve sits there silently and lets him finishing, waiting for Loki to shut the book and put it down before speaking again.

“I finished the book you let me borrow. Thanks.”

Steve reaches into his bag, handling the book with care as he gives it to Loki. It’s been a very long time since Loki has seen anyone taking care with his belongings and it’s—nice. Strange, too, but it’s not exactly unwelcome.

He realises that he’s still sitting there, staring at the book, when Steve clears his throat. Quickly reaching for the book, he shoves it into his own bag, along with the one he’s just finished.

“Can I borrow the second book?” Steve asks suddenly, making Loki look up. Rubbing the back of his neck, Steve grins. “I noticed you reading it a few days ago—that book you just finished was the third, right?”

“I don’t have the second with me right now,” Loki replies slowly, tilting his head in thought. “Thor is home at the moment. It will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“I’ll find you at lunch time, then.” Steve smiles at him, bright and charming. It’s a smile that usually irritates Loki to no end, but this time, he manages a small smile in return.

“At least tell me that the second book doesn’t have as much of a cliff-hanger,” Steve says as Loki slings his bag over his shoulder and gets to his feet.

“I’m not telling you anything.” Loki doesn’t stop to ask why Steve is walking with him. They’re far from school and the roads are quiet. Nobody is going to see them, so he may as well enjoy the company while he has it.

“So it _does_ end with another cliff-hanger then,” Steve guesses, his hands in his pockets and an easy smile on his face.

“You’ll find out for yourself soon enough,” Loki points out and with a smirk, adds, “I really doubt you want me to start spoiling the book for you right now.”

“You wouldn’t,” Steve replies, and _that_ sends a small surge of irritation through Loki.

“Then you clearly don’t know me at all, do you? Because in the second book, the enemy army attacks the kingdom with—”

“Alright, alright.” Steve covers Loki’s mouth, but he’s laughing. “I get the point. No more questions.”

Loki’s about to join in the laughter when he notices an unpleasantly familiar red-and-yellow car turning the corner.

“Shit, that’s Stark.”

Without any warning, Loki pushes Steve, who is surprised enough to take two steps back. Before Tony can drive close enough to see him, Loki is hiding behind a bush, well out of sight.

“Hey Cap, what are you doing here?”

“Huh?” Steve sounds confused at first, but it must click for him then. “Oh, Tony. Hey. Just felt like going for a walk. Get some fresh air. You know how it is.”

“I really don’t, but okay. Hey listen, Clint just said he’s got the house to himself tonight. We’re going over for movies, come on. I’ll give you a lift.”

“Uh…” Steve pauses, and Loki can just imagine him looking around. “Yeah. Sure thing.”

Loki stays hidden where he is until he hears the car driving away, and then counts to ten silently before looking around. There’s no sign of Steve or Tony anywhere and he sighs, turning to walk home.

He doesn’t really understand the strange prickle of jealousy, but it’s unwelcome all the same.

 

•

 

“Never knew you could just disappear like that.”

Loki sighs, looking up from his food. Steve sounds annoyed, and his face is set in a deep, disappointed frown.

Loki isn’t in the mood to fight, so he opts for making Steve shut up. “Back before we moved, Thor’s group of friends were particularly keen on making my life miserable. It was a necessary skill.”

It’s successful; Steve falls silent—for a short moment, before he asks, “Is that what you think of us? Do you see us as bullies who just want to beat you up?”

Steve actually sounds hurt and Loki frowns, shaking his head. “I don’t _expect_ it from you, but I’d rather not take my chances. I know that Stark doesn’t particularly like me and if he were to see us together…”

“Did you know that we all kept our distance from Bruce to begin with?” Sitting down beside Loki, Steve fixes his gaze on the grass. “He was just this weird science geek with anger problems. The only time anyone paid attention to him, it was to get _away_ from him.”

“You don’t need to tell me,” Loki replies coolly. “I saw it myself.”

“But then he and Tony did physics together and they’ve been great friends ever since. Tony vouched for Bruce. I can vouch for—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Loki snaps. “Do you really think that I _want_ to be part of your idiotic group? What makes you think that I’d want to spend any more time around my brother than necessary? And do you really think that we’re _friends_ just because we read the same books?”

“Loki—”

“Stop,” Loki growls, getting to his feet and grabbing his bag. “Whatever you think this is, I’m done with it.”

“Loki,” Steve repeats, louder this time. “I know how it feels, okay? I used to be tiny. I used to get beaten up all the time in my old neighbourhood and I never let myself back down. I’d probably be dead now, if it weren’t for my friend Bucky.”

“Well, how nice that must have been,” Loki sneers. “At least _you_ can hold your own, now. And if you think I need you the way you needed this Bucky of yours, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“No, I get that.” Steve runs a hand through his hair and laughs quietly. “I _hated_ it when Bucky won my fights for me. But I was glad that I had him, you know? Even if it felt like most of the world hated me, I had _someone_ on my side.”

“I see.” Slowly turning back to Steve, Loki tilts his head. “I don’t need somebody to stand up for me, but you’re suggesting that we become…”

“Friends,” Steve finishes with a small smile. “Yeah. If you don’t want to hang out with the others, that’s fine. It can just be the two of us. How does that sound?”

Loki mulls it over, trying to find the flaws. There are none that jump out at him, and he tells himself that this could always end up being useful to him. There could be some way to take advantage of Steve’s friendship, should the need ever arise.

With a nod, he says, “That sounds acceptable.”

“Well, don’t get _too_ enthusiastic, now.”

“I’ll try my very hardest,” Loki replies with a wry grin. “Now, don’t forget the book you came for. You’d better get back to your friends. Wouldn’t want the Captain to miss a football game, would we?”

“Thanks.” Steve tucks the book safely into his bag before turning to leave. “Will you be at that park again this afternoon?”

“I might be. You’ll have to find out for yourself, won’t you?”

Steve grins, shaking his head. “See you later.”

Loki watches him leave, perfectly aware that he’s smiling. He decides that he doesn’t care.

 

•

 

To Loki’s utter delight, Steve proves that he’s far sneakier than anyone would suspect. There’s far more to him than the charming and naive person everyone sees. People trust and like him, which is why nobody even thinks to question it when Steve says that he’s busy and meets up with Loki instead.

“I wish I could do that,” Loki muses one Saturday, when they’re walking through a mall on the other side of town. “Nobody believes a thing I say, these days.”

“Well it really doesn’t help that you’re lying all the time,” Steve replies mildly. “People expect the truth from me because that’s what they usually get.”

“I don’t lie _all the time_.”

With a disbelieving look, Steve folds his arms across his chest. “You lied about Tony ruining that first edition. It wasn’t _actually_ a first edition, was it?”

Loki’s expression doesn’t change the slightest bit. “And what makes you think that?”

“Well for one, I remember your book being in pretty good condition for something so old. I thought that okay, you’re probably just careful with your things. I didn’t think anything of it until I finished reading the first book when I borrowed it from you. It occurred to me out of nowhere that hey, your book’s cover looked different to this one. It all fell into place pretty quickly after that.”

Loki blinks, annoyed at himself for being caught out. “And yet you said nothing. Why?”

“I didn’t really care,” Steve declares with a shrug. “I bought you that book because I felt bad about what happened. By the time I realised… well, I already considered you a friend, okay? Friends forgive each other for dumb things like that. Trust me, I’d know.”

“Stark,” Loki whispers, his eyes widening.

“Well yeah, that’s who I was talking about but you don’t have to bring him into—” Steve falls silent when Loki hits his arm. Tony is walking towards them, already too close to avoid.

“I thought you had homework to catch up on, Cap.” Tony takes his sunglasses off, perching them on top of his head. “Don’t think I got this particular assignment. Let me guess, Psych?”

“Tony.” Steve greets him with a strained smile, while Loki desperately wishes that he could turn invisible.

“Something’s going on here,” Tony muses, “and I wasn’t invited. Insulting. And a little intriguing. Got a secret you wanna keep, Steve? Oh—don’t tell me. _He’s_ your dirty little secret, isn’t he? What, are you secretly dating or something?”

There’s an odd flicker of emotion in Tony’s eyes as he speaks. Incredulity, Loki recognises, and possessiveness. It’s the latter, in particular, that drives Loki to take Steve’s hand into his own and smile at Tony.

“That’s exactly right, Stark. We are. Is there a problem with that?”

Loki is expecting a variety of reactions, from Tony bursting out in hysterical laughter to simply punching his face in. What he doesn’t expect, however, is for Steve to pull his hand away from Loki’s, looking queasy.

“Excuse me,” Steve mutters, and Loki is left with Tony, staring dumbstruck as he walks away.

 

•

 

Of course, Tony manages to get the first word in. “Nice going, jack ass.”

“Excuse me,” Loki laughs bitterly. “We were doing perfectly fine until you showed up. If this is anybody’s fault—”

“Look,” Tony interrupts. “Steve doesn’t lie, alright? Ever. Except he’s been telling us he’s been busy for _weeks_ , probably blowing us off to hang out with you. I have absolutely no idea why anyone _would_ , but seeing as how you probably haven’t worked out how to mind-control people, I’m guessing that Steve has a good reason. Don’t fuck that up, okay?”

Loki smiles, baring his teeth. “Is that a threat?”

“Don’t fuck it up _or else_. Happy? Now go and find him. The guy sure knows how to mope when he wants to.”

Loki doesn’t need to be told twice, but before he leaves, he glares at Tony. “I’m not doing this because you asked me to. I’m doing it because Steve is my friend.”

He doesn’t hang around to hear Tony’s reply, already making his way out of the mall. It’s not a big place and it doesn’t take long to find Steve, sitting on a bench facing away from the main building.

Loki sits down beside him and Steve barely turns in his direction.

“What do you want?”

“To apologise. I didn’t intend to…” Loki pauses, unsure of how to continue. He can’t tell if Steve is hurt, offended, disgusted, or a combination of the three.

Steve laughs, but it’s an unhappy sound. “You have no idea, do you? You’re just like the rest.”

“I’m going to take that as an insult,” Loki says calmly. “Now, what exactly am I not getting?”

“What you said to Tony.” Steve looks down at his shoes. “None of them know about it, because I didn’t know how they’d react. I thought I could tell you because it didn’t seem like you’d care, and then I was afraid to tell you too, because—”

“Steve?”

Taking a deep breath, Steve shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I was just outed to my best friend. And if that wasn’t bad enough on its own, it’s by _you_ of all people, and I’m still trying to figure out how the hell I feel about you.”

“Oh, I see,” Loki snaps. “So that speech you have about friendship meant nothing, did it? I should have known better than to listen to—”

“Loki.” Steve sounds exasperated, and a little desperate. “That’s not even close to what I meant.”

“Then what am I meant to think—” and then the pieces abruptly fall into place and Loki leans back against the bench. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Steve’s laugh is self-deprecating. “ _Oh_.”

“I…” Being at a loss for words is unpleasant as it is, and now is the worst time for it. Loki opens and shuts his mouth until he manages to say, “Nobody’s ever _liked_ me before.”

“Well.” Steve smiles tightly and spreads his hands in a _ta-da_ gesture.

“For what it’s worth,” Loki murmurs, looking at his hands, “Thor knows I’m gay. He may tease me for the fact that I prefer the indoors when both he and my father are athletic, but he’s never once made fun of the fact that my preferences are different to his. The idiots he hung out with before we moved tried it once, and he defended me. I doubt that it would bother Stark and as for the rest of your friends… well, if they can handle being friends with a smart-arsed, narcissistic jerk, they’ll be fine with you.”

“That _is_ my best friend you’re talking about,” Steve points out, even though he’s smiling a little. “Thanks. And, y’know, sorry for putting you on the spot I wasn’t really expecting you to feel the same, but I guess I prefer being honest with people.”

“Then let me be honest with you,” Loki replies, his tone smooth as ever to hide how nervous he feels. Finding Steve’s hand with his own, Loki curls his fingers around the larger, warmer ones beneath them. “I really don’t mind. To everyone else, I’m just Thor Odinson’s bratty young brother. You actually see _me_ , and you aren’t running in the opposite direction. That’s more than I’ve expected from anyone.”

With a bright smile, Steve interlocks his fingers with Loki’s, squeezing gently. “Well, you better get used to it.”

 

•

 

Thor has his friends over, and Loki is in his room with the door shut, even though it doesn’t do very much to keep the noise out.

Not that Loki particularly minds. He can hear Steve playing Soul Calibur against Thor in the lounge room. From Thor’s shouts of disbelief, Steve is winning. Loki grins to himself, flipping the pages of the textbook he’s pretending to read for chemistry next Monday.

Judging by the victory cry that Steve lets out, he’s won the fight. Between Thor exclaiming that it’s not possible, Loki hears Steve excusing himself to the bathroom.

Loki manages to time it just right, so that he’s leaning in his doorway as Steve turns down the hallway.

“Hey,” Steve grins, glancing around quickly before pressing Loki against the doorjamb and kissing him.

Letting out a content hum, Loki wraps his arms around Steve’s broad shoulders. “Much more fun than mashing buttons and hoping for the best, wouldn’t you agree?”

Steve only grins in reply, kissing Loki again. They both know that button-mashing is the complete opposite to what Steve had done. They’d played against each other before, to have Loki effortlessly beat him every single time. Loki had grinned, said, “ _strategy_ ,” and proceeded to teach Steve.

“Mm, I need to get back,” Steve murmurs when they pull apart.

“You really don’t.” Loki nuzzles against Steve’s neck, smiling as he relaxes. They’ve been together for two months now, and Loki knows that Steve’s neck is particularly sensitive.

“I do if you don’t want Thor finding us,” Steve replies, even though he sounds reluctant to go. “Of course, if we didn’t lie to Tony, and just told Thor—“

“I’d have to listen to him go on about how I’m not good enough for you,” Loki points out quietly.

“Actually, I’m pretty sure it would be the reverse.” Steve kisses Loki’s forehead before taking a step backwards. “He’ll need to know eventually.”

“Agreed.” Loki folds his arms across his chest. “Perhaps he’ll walk in on us kissing at his birthday party next month.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t. …Except you really would, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re catching on.” With a broad grin, Loki steals one last kiss. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”


End file.
